The invention relates to an arrangement for receiving vehicle tools, and a seat for a powered two-wheel vehicle, such as, for example, a motorcycle seat having a receptacle of this type.
Various solutions exist in the prior art for stowing repair tools or vehicle tools reliably and accessibly in a vehicle. Here, particular problems occur in the case of motorcycles, two-wheelers and motor scooters in comparison with spacious passenger cars and trucks.
DE 3101161 A1, for example, discloses a tool or instrument pouch which is attached to the inner side of the trunk lid of a motor vehicle. The arrangement is configured such a that part of the pouch which receives the tools or instruments is articulated so it can be folded downward on the trunk lid until in a horizontal position when the trunk lid is pivoted upward, whereas the other part of the pouch is formed by the trunk lid itself or is fastened removably to the latter with the first-mentioned part as an entirety. An embodiment of this type cannot be transferred appropriately to motorcycles or motor scooters, however.
DE 10159719 A1 discloses an arrangement of vehicle tools and/or a car jack in a vehicle. The arrangement includes a receiving container, in which vehicle tools can be introduced. It is possible for the receiving container to be attached using suitable fasteners in the interior of the motor vehicle. Furthermore, it is possible for the receiving container to be fastened in the region of a side wall trim of the inner side of the motor vehicle. Comparable solutions are also known in the field of two-wheel motorcycles, in which a receiving container for vehicle tools is accommodated in a storage compartment.
EP 0 838 373 A2 discloses a further embodiment of a receiving container for vehicle tools. Here, it is possible for the receiving container to be screwed fixedly on the floor of the motor vehicle. Embodiments of this type cannot be transferred to a motorcycle or a scooter. Furthermore, containers and receptacle pouches of this type have various disadvantages.
It proves disadvantageous in an arrangement of this type that removal of a vehicle tool is uncomfortable for the user and requires that covers or holders sometimes have to be removed first. When the tool is later placed back into the pouch, it can rarely be repacked in the as-delivered state, with the result that it then no longer fits into the receptacle.
Holding apparatuses in storage compartments are provided to this end as alternative solutions, into which holding apparatuses individual tools are fastened by use of rubber rings, clamping rubbers or clips. Clamping rubbers are cumbersome, however, and a plurality of tools which are held by a common clamping rubber frequently have to be removed at the same time. Furthermore, the tools can rattle against the storage component walls during driving, which leads to disruptive noise during driving. Plastic clips fatigue and sometimes break after ageing phenomena, with the result that the tools can no longer be fastened at all.
It is the object of the present invention to overcome the abovementioned disadvantages and to provide an apparatus of the generic type described at the outset, by way of which vehicle tools are held reliably in a motorcycle, motor scooter or the like, are accessible comfortably and, moreover, absorb the high forces which occur as a result of the driving dynamics.
This and other objects are achieved by way of an arrangement for a motor vehicle seat, as well as a seat for a powered two-wheel vehicle, for example a motorcycle, in accordance with embodiments of the invention.
The basic concept of the present invention consists in that an arrangement is formed from a tool carrier which is made to be elastic to highly elastic and has a number of cavities which project from the tool carrier and are preferably configured in one piece with the latter with pocket-like receiving spaces configured for holding vehicle tools. The cavities are arranged and configured in pairs in such a way that in each case one preferably end-side tool section can be inserted into or removed from in each case one of the pocket-like receptacles of the cavities. During insertion and removal of the tools, the cavities can be moved or displaced elastically from a storage position (starting position) into a plug-in or removal position (displaced position) on account of their elasticity, with the result that the respective other end of the vehicle tool slides out or can be removed from the pocket-like receptacle.
According to the invention, an arrangement for a powered two-wheel vehicle seat for receiving vehicle tools and the like is therefore proposed, the arrangement forming a tool carrier which is made from at least one elastically deformable material and has a plurality of cavities with, in each case, one plug-in opening for inserting a section of a vehicle tool into a receiving space of the cavity. It is possible for the cavities to be moved from a storage position (starting position) into a plug-in or removal position (displaced position) on account of their elasticity.
In one particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the cavities are configured in one piece and from one material with the tool carrier.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the material of the tool carrier and, therefore, of the cavities is formed from a molded foam, preferably from a soft elastic integral foam or a highly elastic or visco-elastic polyurethane foam. Other elastic foam materials are likewise conceivable as long as they can be moved elastically to and fro from a storage position (starting position) into a plug-in or removal position (displaced position) for the tools on account of their elasticity.
It is particularly advantageous if in each case one cavity pair comprising two cavities which are spaced apart from one another is provided for one or more of the vehicle tools, the pairs being arranged with respect to one another in such a way that their plug-in openings are oriented with respect to one another at an angle between 0° and 90°. In other words, this means that the spacing of the cavities which are arranged in pairs and the position of the plug-in openings are adapted to the tool length and tool shape. It is particularly preferred if the ends of the tools are supported against one or more inner wall sections in the cavities. In this way, driving dynamic forces can be absorbed in the corresponding directions.
In one particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the cavities project as cup-like elevations from the surface of the tool carrier on the insertion and removal side of the arrangement, preferably in the same spatial direction.
The projecting cavities can thus be configured, for example, as parallelepiped-shaped, cylindrical or partially cylindrical elevations on the insertion and removal side of the arrangement and, in each case, form a circumferential section and a bottom section. The bottom section of the cavity forms a holding section for the tools on the insertion and removal side of the arrangement, in order to hold said tools in a direction perpendicularly with respect to the driving direction during driving dynamic accelerations and, for example, during driving through dips. Movements in and counter to the driving direction and lateral movements are absorbed by way of circumferential sections which are formed by side walls.
One or more of the plug-in openings along the respective circumferential section of the cavity is/are advantageously configured in the circumferential direction in a region of more than 20%, preferably in a region of between 40 and 60% of the entire circumference. Thus, for example, in the case of a parallelepiped-shaped cavity which has four side walls which form the circumference, the plug-in opening can be configured along two adjacent side walls (which corresponds to a circumferential section of approximately 50%). The parallelepiped-shaped cavity which is spaced apart from this and forms a cavity pair can form a plug-in opening only along one side wall, which corresponds to a circumferential region of approximately 25%. In this way, the tools can be removed laterally from the pocket-like receptacles in a simpler manner.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, one or more vehicle tools are inserted into the arrangement, the inserted vehicle tools being plugged with at least one, preferably both end-side tool sections into, in each case, one pocket-like receptacle through the corresponding plug-in opening of the respective cavity and being fixed by the elastic material which surrounds the tool section.
A further aspect of the present invention relates to a seat for a motorcycle, powered two-wheel vehicle or the like, the seat being provided with a seat shell opposite the seat surface on its underside, in which seat shell an arrangement as described above for receiving vehicle tools is located. Here, the arrangement is arranged in the seat shell in such a way that the fitting and removal side for the tools is arranged on the underside, that is to say the side which faces away from the seat surface. In the case of a foldable seat, the seat can thus be folded open out of its normally closed position, with the result that the tools are accessible.
In an advantageous refinement of the seat, in each case one pair of two cavities which are spaced apart from one another is provided for the vehicle tools, the plug-in openings of which cavities are oriented at an angle between 0° and 90° with respect to one another, and the orientation of the pairs of cavities is configured in the seat longitudinal direction of the seat. In other words, the plug-in openings are provided on side wall sections of the cavity pairs which face one another, or on side wall sections which are offset by an angle of approximately 90°.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.